1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toy for animals, and in particular to an animal ball toy.
2. Description of Related Art
A wide variety of toys are available for entertaining and playing with animals.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,534,964 discloses a ball toy for animals including a hollow flexible rubber ball and a cloth mouse disposed therein. The ball is divided into two hemispherical portions with a plurality of slots defined through one of the hemispherical sections. One of the slots is enlarged so that the artificial mouse may be inserted therethrough. When released the slot returns to its original size and shape so as not to allow the mouse to exit from the ball through the slot in which it was inserted, however, a portion of the mouse may protrude through the aperture to entice the animal. Animals playing with the ball toy derive entertainment from the motion of the ball as it bounces or rolls across a surface, such as the floor. Because the artificial mouse is made of a cloth material and has a non-circular shape as the ball rolls across the floor, the movement of the mouse therein imposes a drag that limits or restricts the momentum of the ball. As a result the toy is not very challenging for an animal to capture and thus, not very entertaining. Another disadvantage is that this toy is clearly marketed for a cat, as indicated by the fact that a mouse is disposed inside the ball which may be filled with catnip to further entice the cat. Therefore, the toy holds significantly less interest, if any, for a dog.
Another animal ball toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,855. The ball toy includes a high bounce or very resilient inner rubber ball enclosed in a light weight outer ball so that the inner ball is completely concealed from view by the animal. During manufacture the outer ball is vulcanized around the inner ball. The overall cost of such a toy must be maintained relatively inexpensive. Manufacture of the toy is relatively costly since the outer ball must be vulcanized around the inner ball. The sole purpose of the inner ball is to produce unpredictable and erratic behavior when the toy bounces off of a surface. Furthermore, because the inner ball is not observable, its movement within the outer ball fails to provide any visual stimulus to entice or entertain the animal.
It is therefore desirable to develop a ball toy of interest to a wide range of animals that may be manufactured at a relatively inexpensive cost and overcomes the above mentioned problems.